Fastener construction



Aug- 2. 1932- R MITCHELL FASTENER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 18.` 1927 reame aeg.' a. resa -raes .ROBERT MITCHELL, OF DETRGIT, MICHIGAN, ASSGOR 'UNITED-(CARR FASTENER COREORATON, 0F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHU- EETTS rasrnnna oorrsrauorron Application filed May 18, 1927. Serial No.. 192,170'.

The present invention pertains to a fastener construction intended more particularly for the attachment of surface finishing members, such as pads, to the inner face of an automobile wall or door.

in present practice it is necessary to build a wooden framework contiguous to the inner face of the automobile wall or door for receiving nails driven through the finishing member in order to support the latter in its desired position. The nails have small heads which are driven bevond the visible surface of the finishing member, and although out of sight, they are nevertheless the cause of a m rupture in the iinishing fabric due to their penetration therethrough. v

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the wooden framework already mentioned and also thev damage of the finishing fabric by fastening nails. The construction which makes possible the elimination of these objections is a snap fastener carried' by the base of the iinishing member and inserted directly into apertures drilled in thel metallic wall or door section. of the body. Further, the fasteners are mounted in a yfloating manner on thelinishing elements, thereby permitting variation in their position so that strict accuracy need not be observed in the placing of the fasteners on the iinishing element and the formation of the receiving apertures in the automobile body.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following` description and in the accompanying drawing, in. which- Figure l is a plan View of the fastener:

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of an automobile bodv, showing the fastener in use Fig. 3'is a perspective view of the holder;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the head; and.

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the inner wall of an automobile body. showing a pad attached according to the invention.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout. I

The numeral 1 designates a portion of an automobile body, either the wall or a door thereof. rThis member is represented as of double walled construction preferably of metal which is generally used for the purpose and comprising inner and outer sections 3 and 2 respectively.

ln order to apply a nishing member such as a pad 4 to the inner face of the wall 3, a wooden frame work is usually built on this face so that the pad maybe nailed thereto. This invention, as already indicated, eliminates such framework by the construction presently to be described.

For the purpose of attaching the finishing member to the wall 3 there is provided a snap fastener including a holder 5 and a head 6. The holder is preferably a disk having a series of angular lugs 7 struck from the periphery thereof. The angularity of the lugs is such that each has a portion spaced from the plane of the disk as shown inFigures 2 and 3. `While the lugs are straight as indicated by the numeral 8 in Figure 3, they are passed into an opening 9 cut in the base l() of the pad 4. rlhe opening has the circumference of a circle circumscribing the lugs. and after insertion the lugs are bent to the right angular condition whereby they engage the surface of the base opposite to that engaged by the marginal portion of the disk. i

The head 6 of the fastener is split as at 1l to provide resiliency. lt has a shoulder or vbase 12 which rests on the disk 5. Another in this manner at the periphery of the iinishing element'4 as indicated by the letter A in Figure 5. Similarly, a corresponding number xof apertures 14 are drilled through the inner wall 3 of the body member 1. The apertures 14 need not be formed in strict 'alignment with the centers of the holders 5,

and consequently considerable time may be TIO saved in the formation of the apertures and the attachment of the fasteners to the nishing member 4. Inaccuracies in the registration of the fasteners With the apertures are compensated for by the Afloating attachment of the heads 6 which are capable of slight adjustment with reference to their holders and the apertures 14. The actual attachment of the finishing member 4 to the body member l is made by springing the heads 6 into the apertures l as clearly shown in Figure 2.

Heretofore fastener units have been at tached to the upholstered panel in such a manner that the holder Was located at either one side or the other of the base member to which it Was attached, thereby increasing the thickness of the entire installation. ll have found that eXtra thickness is in many instances undesirable and, therefore, it is an object of my invention to reduce to a minimum the thickness of the entire panel structure by securingithe holder for the fastener member in an aperture in the base material 10, so that the shoulder or base l2 of the stud is confined Within the two faces of the base material l0, thereby eliminating any projections of substantial thickness at either side of the base material. i p

It Will be apparent that the usual Wooden framework for supporting the finishing element 4 is eliminated and that strict accuracy need not be observed in the positioning of the fasteners and their receiving apertures.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it Will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A snap fastener unit comprising a one piece attaching part, prongs extending from said attaching part for engagement against one side of a supporting member to Which the attaching part is to be secured, a snap fastener member having a base seated against said attaching part, prongs struck up from said attaching part and overlapping said base on the side opposite to that side which seats against the attaching part and loosely surrounding the base to form a floating attachment of the fastener member to the attaching member and means extending laterally outwardly beyond said last mentioned prongs to engage the supporting member at the side opposite the side to be engaged by said first mentioned prongs.

2. A fastener installation comprising, in combination, a relatively stiff fastener-carry ing medium having a hole therethrough. a fastener unit having an attaching part and a snap fastener member looselv assembled therewith, said attaching part being located in the hole in said fastenencarrying medium.

said snap fastener part having a base seated lateral shifting of the fastener member relative to the attaching part, other prongs extending from said attaching part and engaged against one face of the fastener-carrying medium and said attaching part having means extending laterally outwardly beyond the first mentioned prongs and engaging the fastener-carrying medium at the opposite side from that side engaged by the said other prongs to hold the attaching part in assem bled relation with said fastener-carrying medium.

3. A fastener unit comprising, in combination, a holder part formed from a single piece of metal and a snap fastener part, means formed as a part of the holder part for engaging said snap fastener part and holding it in assembled relation with said holder part, other integral means extending laterally out- 1 Wardly beyond the means engaging the 'snap fastener part to engage one face of a suporting part to which the fastener unit is to e attached and attaching means formed integral with the holder part and adapted to cooperate with said other means to secure the fastener unit to the supporting part.

4. A fastener installation comprising,l in combination, a relatively sti carrying medium having a hole therethrough, a fastener unit having a fastener holding and attaching part formed from a single piece of metal and provided with fastener holding means located in the hole in said carrying medium, said holding and attaching part having means extending laterally at one side of the fastener holding means and seated against one face of the carrying medium and also having attaching prongs at the other side of the fastener means bent against the opposite face of the carrying medium to secure the fastener holding means in said hole, a snap fastener member assembled with said fastener holding means and means providing a lost motion connection between the snap fastener member and the fastener holding and attaching part whereby said fastener member may shift laterally in any direction relative to the carrying medium'.

5. A fastener unitcomprising a holder formed from a single piece of metal and having a. plate portion, a stud member having a base seated against said plate portion, means struck from said plate portion and loosely engaging the base of said stud member to hold the stud member in assembled relation with the holder While permitting lateral shifting thereof and attaching means provided by said holder for engagement with opposite sides of a supporting member to secure the fastener unit thereto.

6. A fastener installation comprising, in combination, a part having a backing of rela=` tively thin sheet material provided with an aperture therethrough, a casing part located entirely Within said aperture and eonned between the faces of said backing, attaching means of a single thickness of the material of the casing extending laterally outwardly therefrom over each face of the material tohold the easing part in position in said aperv ture, said attaching means being substantially flush with the surfaces of said backing and being thevonly means of the casing -part located outside of the hole in the backing, a l5 snap fastener stud member having a base located within said casing and having a.

headed shank extending therefrom, means providing a lost motion connection between the stud base and the casing thereby providing for shifting of the stud in any lateral direction relative to said upholstery part, a part to which said backing is attached and socket means presented by said part for receiving the said stud. In testimony whereof I afx my signature.

ROBERT MITCHELL. 

